‘Buenas Noches’ — Mayor Pete Buttigieg Joins Debate ‘Hispandering’

Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, joined the ranks of Democrats speaking Spanish at the Democrat debates on Thursday in an attempt to connect with Hispanic voters.

“Buenas noches, gracias,” Buttigieg replied when greeted by Telemundo’s Jose Diaz-Balart in both English and Spanish at the beginning of the debate.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro appeared to compete with each other on the amount of Spanish used in the first debate Wednesday night, in an effort to appeal to Hispanics.

A YouGov survey showed that 51 percent of respondents who identify as swing voters believe speaking Spanish during a debate is “pandering.”